Horizontally divided into equal parts white over green. The white
part is inscribed in gold "Liberte' et Patrie" (freedom and
fatherland), and the letters are outlined in black. Lettering on a
flag violates rules of heraldry which aim to maximize ease of
recognition. (Since flags hang limp, flutter in the breeze, and take
on altered forms according to the light, lettering is normally a
pointless addition.) But since Vaud is the only Swiss cantonal flag
to contain lettering, it is not readily confused with any other.
Although rendered in upper case, the last E in "Liberte'" is always
accented. The rest of Switzerland occasionally pokes fun at Vaud by
deliberately misrepresenting their motto as "Liberté est partie"
(freedom is departed).

T.F. Mills, 03 November 1997

I read in the newspaper 24-Heures from Lausanne that the description of the official arms
were put upside down in the law. The law states that the arms of the Canton of Vaud are two bars of
Sinople and Argent (Green and White) and as in heraldry the first colour
mentioned is always on the top.

Green and white were the colours of revolution, and were incorporated
in the first flag of the Vaudois insurrection in the 1790s. A
modified version of the revolutionary flag was adopted when Vaud
became a canton in 1803.

T.F. Mills, 03 November 1997

History of the flag

Vaud was urbanised in ancient Roman times, and contained the Roman
capital of Helvetia (Aventicum, or Avenches). Later it was part of
Burgundy, and in the 13th century came under the control of Savoy.
Parts were annexed by Fribourg and Bern, and in 1536 Bern annexed all
the land of Vaud. From 1536 Vaud no longer had its own flag, but it
previously had three different ones. At the end of the 13th century
it was a black eagle on a gold field, with a red "label of five
points" (across the chest of the eagle). During the 14th and 15th
centuries it was a red field with a white cross over which ran a
narrow diagonal band of blue and gold squares. In 1530 it was
changed to a black three-domed mountain floating on a white field.

A Vaudois insurrection against Bern in the 1790s, inspired by the
French revolution, was largely responsible for inviting the French
invasion in 1798 which destroyed the old Swiss Confederation and
replaced it with the unitary Helvetic Republic. The flag of the
Vaudois revolution was green inscribed in white with the motto
"Liberté, Egalité" (freedom, equality). Within the Helvetic
Republic, the Vaudois territory became independent of Bern as the
new canton of Léman.

With the restoration of the Swiss Confederation in 1803, Vaud became
one of the six new cantons, and adopted as its flag a variant of the
insurrectional flag of the previous decade. At first the lettering
of "Liberté et Patrie" was in black, and there may also have been
some in green. In 1819 Vaud organised its army and adopted a war
flag which featured an escutcheon of the cantonal arms on a flamed
green and white field. This escutcheon fixed the arms and equivalent
flag in their current form.

An often variation, with the lettering not only outlined but
also shadowed.António Martins, 04 January 1998

by António Martins

A simple white over green bicolor, used, for instances, in license
plates.António Martins, 04 January 1998

by António Martins

An often pun, meaning instead "Freedom is gone".António Martins, 04 January 1998

Flaggen, Knatterfahnen and Livery Colours

by Pascal Gross

Flaggen are vertically hoisted from a crossbar in the manner of gonfanon, in ratio of about 2:9, with a swallowtail that indents about 2 units. The chief, or hoist (square part) usually incorporates the design from the coat of arms - not from the flag. The fly part is always divided lengthwise, usually in a bicolour, triband or tricolour pattern (except Schwyz which is monocolour, and Glarus which has four stripes of unequal width). The colours chosen for the fly end are usually the main colours of the coat of arms, but the choice is not always straight forward.

Knatterfahnen are similar to Flaggen, but hoisted from the long side and have no swallow tail. They normally show the national, cantonal or communal flag in their chiefs.

Zeljko Heimer, 16 July 2000

Possible flag change

There will be a new consitution for Vaud canton which will take effect on 14
April 2003, on the bicentenary of the entry of Vaud canton into the Swiss
confederation. There is a motion to change the text on the arms from
"Liberté et Patrie" (Freedom and Fatherland) to "Liberté et
solidarité" (Freedom and Solidarity). A popular vote will be held in 2002
to accept or refuse this decision adopted by the Constituent Assembly of the
canton (75 in favour, 64 against this decision). Vaud canton is the only
one in Switzerland to have lettering on its blazon.

Pascal Gross, 6 September 2000

It is worth reporting on all the aberrations of the "Constituante" (constituent assembly) which is a group of
people working on the future constitution of Vaud canton. I would not put all the people from Vaud canton in the same basket as there have been a lot of reactions on all these decisions and I'm quite convinced that they will keep the current flag in the new constitution. Effectively, I can't see how they would take the risk of
seeing the constitution refused for "a modification like that" (words of Christelle Luisier, chief of the radical group).